Seeing the Stars
by Rainy Daze Writer
Summary: A one-shot based on the myth "All apprentices must visit the Moongully before becoming warriors because the sacred place encourages their belief in StarClan." Challenge courtesy of jayfeather12345. Thornpaw never really believed the tales about starry warriors watching over him until a visit to the place the Clans hold sacred.


**Seeing the Stars**

* * *

Characters:

Thornpaw - pale tabby tom with green eyes

Swiftsong – long-furred black she-cat with yellow eyes

Hollowsky – silver tabby tom with blue eyes

Ferretpaw – pretty marbled russet tabby with green eyes

Hazeshadow – dark silver tabby tom with blue eyes

Burntwhisker – black she-cat with ginger-splashed muzzle and copper eyes

Tornstar – ragged-furred tabby tom with shredded ears and amber eyes

Shroudstorm – serious dark blue-grey she-cat with blue eyes

Hedgehogneedle – spiky ginger and white tom with green eyes

Hartfoot – swift, agile brown she-cat with hazel eyes

Staghorn – swift, agile brown tom with hazel eyes

Redriver – dark ginger tom with white paws and chest and copper eyes

* * *

"What? Do I _have_ to go to the Moongully?" Thornpaw whined, following Swiftsong with his tail drooping. The black she-cat cast a glance over her shoulder, and the pale apprentice shivered at the intensity of her gaze.

"Yes, you have to go to the Moongully," Swiftsong replied sharply. "All apprentices must see StarClan to learn of our heritage. Besides, wouldn't you want to see the cats from seasons past?" She began padding away, headed for the medicine den.

_No,_ Thornpaw thought grouchily. _Why is everyone so obsessed with StarClan? Do they really believe that they just go sleep in a valley and get to meet all their ancestors with starry fur and weird prophecies?_ He didn't understand how the Clans could be so gullible.

Still, he also couldn't blatantly disobey Swiftsong's orders. And it _was_ good to know that area of the Clans' territory, in case there was ever a battle there. But of course, there never would be, because the Great and Powerful StarClan was too important and sacred to let the Clans battle in their gully. Thornpaw rolled his eyes.

And why did the Clans care so much if he didn't agree that StarClan even existed? He'd questioned it once, and everyone had looked at him as if he'd ripped some cat's head off. _It's so stupid._

Swiftsong returned with a bundle of herbs grasped in her mouth. She dropped them in front of Thornpaw and meowed, "Eat these. They'll give you strength and energy for the journey to the Moongully."

Thornpaw bit into the mixture of leaves and berries, grimacing at the bitter flavor. _A long journey, five days away from home, this disgusting stuff… is there _anything_ good about going to the Moongully and seeing "StarClan"?_ He sighed. _At least I'll get away from Hollypaw… she always kicks me in her sleep._

"Why are we going alone? Shouldn't we take someone else with us?" Thornpaw asked as his mentor headed for the exit to the camp. "I mean, it's a two-day journey to get there and we stay in the valley for a whole day. What if we're attacked?"

Swiftsong's inevitable answer came, "StarClan will guide our paws. They'll see that no harm comes to us." She continued walking, and Thornpaw had to bite back a sarcastic reply.

"Wait! Thornpaw!"

Hollypaw ran up to him, eyes wide. "Are you really going to the Moongully? I wish Nettlehawk would take me already! I can't wait to meet StarClan!" She paced around him, grey tail flicking excitedly. "You have to tell me all about it when you get back, okay?" Her green eyes were wide. "Okay?"

Thornpaw frowned. _What do I tell her when nothing happens?_ "Okay," he promised before the thought had fully formed in his head. "I have to go now. See you in a few days, Hollypaw."

She blinked goodbye as he left the camp, and that was the last Thornpaw saw of her for too long a time – eyes wide and gleaming with jealous admiration, grey fur fluffed up with excitement for him.

* * *

The forest was chilly – leaf-fall was halfway through, and soon the mildly cold weather would turn viciously frigid. Thornpaw couldn't help but envy Swiftsong's long, thick black pelt that was surely keeping her warm. His fur, on the other hand, was barely blocking the biting wind. They were nearly out of the forest.

Thornpaw knew that the Moongully was a long journey away from his home – relatively speaking, that is, because he had never gone even a day away – but he hadn't known which direction it lay in. Now that they were headed there, he could see that it was through BreezeClan's territory.

First they would pass through the ShadeClan forests. Then they would traverse the fields in the center of all the territories, and then go through the open and hilly territory belonging to BreezeClan. Finally, having passed BreezeClan and heading a day and a half away, they would reach a wide plateau that was hollow inside. The hollow was the Moongully, supposedly very difficult to reach. They would spend a day in the Moongully, hunting for themselves and observing the sacred place, then that night they would have a dream sent by StarClan.

Or at least, that's what everyone believed.

Thornpaw didn't agree. It was stupid to travel so far just to have a dream – what if the Clan was attacked while its warriors were on their way to the Moongully? And the dreams themselves were nonsense. He didn't understand how any cat could believe that dead warriors actually dropped out of the sky to visit them in dreams.

Swiftsong twitched her tail and slowed down. "We have to cross the Gathering Field here, and then we'll be in BreezeClan territory. Remember that if we meet a BreezeClan patrol – which we want to do, so that they won't accuse ShadeClan of trespassing – you let me do the talking." Glancing back at Thornpaw, she added, "Don't challenge them at all. Though we know where we're going, in their eyes we're the ones breaking the warrior code."

Thornpaw curled his claws. "Okay." _But if they mess with us, they're going down!_ His fur spiked as he imagined a whole patrol of BreezeClan cats, lunging at them from behind boulders with claws outstretched.

They weaved through the boulders carefully. It felt strange to be here at a time that wasn't a Gathering night, Thornpaw thought. The clearing didn't look right when it was devoid of cats. The scent of all four clans was mingled here to create a strange and powerful smell that made Thornpaw's nose tingle.

Just as they passed through the opening into BreezeClan territory, Thornpaw sneezed hugely. Swiftsong looked over her furry shoulder and began to purr, but was cut off by a threatening snarl.

"What exactly are you doing in our territory?"

Both ShadeClan warriors jerked their heads up. Thornpaw's pelt bristled as he faced a massive russet-colored tom with blazing yellow eyes. Just behind the tom was a ginger tabby apprentice, peering at them with his lips curled in a sneer and hazel eyes flashing. In the distance there were two other warriors racing nimbly over the grass in their direction.

Swiftsong flicked her tail over Thornpaw's mouth, silencing his sharp retort before it could escape his jaws. He glared at her over her black tail, but she didn't look at him. Instead she fixed her eyes calmly on the russet tom.

"Didn't you think we would see you, Swiftsong?" the tom demanded, glaring at her.

Thornpaw watched, amazed that his mentor could keep her cool as she replied. "Of course. My apprentice and I are on our way to the Moongully. I must request that you give us passage through our territory, or StarClan will be displeased." _Oh. That's not keeping her cool._ Thornpaw might have thought StarClan was a tale for kits, but most cats didn't. And to any other warrior, her words were a carefully veiled threat.

The russet warrior lashed his tail. "And your apprentice will confirm this?"

Thornpaw lifted his head, for once wishing that he didn't need to speak. "Y-yes. We're going to the Moongully."

Behind the tom, the ginger apprentice snorted. "As if! Look at the kit – he's shaking like a leaf! They must be here to distract us, Yewberry; let's run them off our territory!"

"I'm no kit!" Thornpaw snapped. "I don't know if BreezeClan keeps their kits in the nursery for eight moons, but ShadeClan certainly doesn't!" He puffed out his chest, but scowled in dismay when the ginger BreezeClan tom just smirked.

The russet tom frowned at the apprentice, then at Thornpaw, then at Swiftsong. "Fine," he rumbled. "But we will be escorting you."

"Thank you," Swiftsong replied coolly. "I wouldn't want to get lost."

A growl rumbled in the tom's chest at her comment, and for a moment Thornpaw was sure he would attack them. Then he turned away and flicked his tail. "Come on. Let's not make this longer than it needs to be."

* * *

The trek through BreezeClan was long and tiring, and Thornpaw wished they could stop outside the territory to rest. However, the sun hadn't yet dipped below the horizon, so he and Swiftsong continued on. Luckily, the bitter herbs they had eaten before leaving lent strength to their paws and gave them the energy to keep moving into the night.

"Remember," Swiftsong warned him, "this is not Clan territory. Rogues, foxes, badgers, and even Twolegs can be found out here." Normally, Thornpelt would have grumbled that he knew all that, but the cloying darkness had unnerved him. He heard crickets singing to the stars, and somewhere far off to the left a fox barked.

Once the moon was high in the sky and Thornpaw was so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open, Swiftsong halted near a collection of bramble bushes. She flicked her tail towards them, "We'll sleep here tonight and continue tomorrow. See if you can find anything to cushion the ground, and I'll clear away an area for us to sleep in."

Unable to summon the energy to reply, Thornpaw nodded sleepily and trudged off into the darkness. His paws were aching, and it took all his willpower to extend his claws and carefully shear away moss from a clump he stumbled over. He did his best to roll it up and squeeze out the water, then tucked the fuzzy green bundle into his jaw and returned to the brambles.

Swiftsong had cleared away a sizeable area of brambles, pulling them into a makeshift shelter that would likely deter predators. She waved her long, fluffy tail at the area and mewed, "Drop the moss there and help me spread it."

_Can't she see I'm tired?_ Thornpaw was too tired to argue, though he wished his mentor would cut him some slack, and tromped over to the clearing. He unceremoniously dropped the moss and shoved his paws into it, separating it into two clumps. Swiftsong moved to his side and, to Thornpaw's surprise, gently shouldered him aside to spread the moss.

"I know you're tired, Thornpaw," she meowed after a moment. "Believe me, I remember how I felt on my first journey to the Moongully. Don't worry, though, because it'll all be worth it to meet StarClan and share dreams with them." Then the black warrior stepped to one side, revealing two neatly spread nests.

Thornpaw flopped into the smaller one and closed his eyes. _It's mouse-brained. There is no StarClan, and this whole thing is dumb. I don't get why everyone…_ But before he knew what he didn't get, the pale tabby tom was asleep.

* * *

A bird woke him up, its singing so loud that Thornpaw wondered if it might have landed right on the apprentices' den. _Stupid bird,_ he thought, and rolled over.

Immediately, his paws touched fur too long and fluffy to be that of Hollypaw. He blinked his eyes open and remembered where he was. _Oh. Right. Stupid journey to the stupid Moongully to "share dreams" with stupid fake StarClan._ Thornpaw yawned hugely and sat up.

Swiftsong was still asleep, dark tail curled around her form and covering her nose so that she was little more than a shimmering black ball. The sun had risen in the distance, back in the direction they came, and was at the perfect height so that when Thornpaw turned around he was nearly blinded by its golden gleam. Cursing under his breath, he spun back to face his mentor and prodded her gently with one paw.

"Hey, wake up. It's morning."

She yawned hugely and opened her eyes, two golden orbs in a cloud of darkness. "Mm, morning, Thornpaw. Why don't you try hunting? Remember to look out for any foxes or badgers. Nothing drives them away here."

"Okay," Thornpaw agreed, getting to his paws and padding away. When he glanced over his shoulder, Swiftsong had curled up in her nest again. _She's just getting rid of me so she can sleep longer!_ With a sigh, he turned back to the forest and scanned the undergrowth. Though the air was rich with the scent of prey, he couldn't see any movement. _Great. This is going to be a long day…_

* * *

Swiftsong's eyes sparkled. "We're almost there, Thornpaw," she purred excitedly. "I can't wait; can you?"

Thornpaw's only response was to stare at her. He had never heard his mentor sound so young. Her mew was light and her paws seemed as if they were floating over the ground. _She must have had a really great dream when she was last here,_ he thought privately. "Yeah, it's pretty exciting," he agreed.

The black she-cat trotted ahead, ears pricked, and waved her tail in delight. "There it is – the Moongully!"

Thornpaw couldn't help but catch her eagerness. Whatever he believed, the Moongully was supposed to be beautiful – and he wanted to see! Picking up the pace, he made his way past Swiftsong and gasped.

Even though he couldn't see inside the Moongully, the plateau itself was incredible! It rose up out of the ground so smoothly that it looked unnatural. The tops of trees just barely cleared the walls in a few places. Thornpaw caught a whiff of greenery, which seemed hard to believe – how could there still be things growing, even though it was nearly leaf-bare?

He jumped as he realized that Swiftsong was watching him. "Isn't it amazing?" she murmured softly. "Even without seeing the inside of the crater, you can tell that StarClan protects this place."

_That's not StarClan!_ Thornpaw felt a flash of irritation. _Why did she have to go and ruin it like that? Can't I just enjoy the Moongully without her shoving StarClan in my face?_ He stomped forward crossly. "Let's just go," he groused, leaving Swiftsong behind with a bewildered expression on her face.

As they approached the wall, Swiftsong spoke again. "I love to visit here. To be honest, I was thinking about it even when Narrowstar decided to make you into my apprentice. You see," she added as Thornpaw began to speed up in an attempt to avoid a lecture, "my mate, Hollowsky, is in StarClan now."

_Oh. That does explain why she's glad to be here,_ Thornpaw thought. He didn't speak, and Swiftsong continued.

"He died before you were born – actually, several seasons before you were born." She scraped the ground with one paw, hesitating, then continued to pad forward, leading Thornpaw now. "He was killed by a monster that was in the fields instead of on the Thunderpath. It was the first time anyone had ever seen one in the fields, and the monsters didn't leave the Thunderpath again. I think Hollowsky's death scared them off, to be honest." She looked up at the Moongully. "He doesn't visit me in dreams anytime else, so I'm always glad to come here so that I can speak to him."

Thornpaw shuffled uncomfortably. _Why is she telling me all this?_

Suddenly he was trapped in Swiftsong's golden gaze. "I know you're skeptical about the existence of StarClan, Thornpaw," she meowed firmly. "That's why we're meeting them so soon. You're younger than most cats who visit the Moongully, but you're also much smarter than a lot of them. You think about things logically. And I know it's hard for you to imagine that there are cats watching over us and holding our fate in their paws. It doesn't make a lot of sense, logically. But let me tell you this. When I come to the Moongully, I speak with Hollowsky. He knows what has been happening in the Clans, and he always has something to tell me that will make me stronger. If that isn't real, I don't know what is."

Thornpaw gave her a somber nod. "I understand," he promised.

"Good," Swiftsong replied shortly. She turned abruptly and pulled herself onto a boulder nearby. "This is the start of the pathway leading into the Moongully. It will be the hardest part of our journey, but if we're careful we'll be fine."

He jumped after her, and winced when Swiftsong grabbed him by the scruff to help pull him onto the rock. _I wish I was bigger so that I could do this myself._

There was a thin, winding trail that led up to the rim of the Moongully. It was less than a tail-length wide, certainly not enough for two cats. On one side was the perfectly smooth wall of the Moongully; on the other was a steep slope that went almost straight down to the ground far below. Thornpaw swallowed hard; if he slipped on this pathway he would almost certainly die.

"There are some more rocks up ahead," Swiftsong informed him. "This area is a little safer, because the rocks form a sort of wall and the path gets a little wider. You just have to watch out for snakes, because they do sometimes hide in the cracks between stones. When they do, they usually avoid us. But don't trod on one's tail and expect it to let you get away with it."

Thornpaw shivered. _This _is_ dangerous,_ he thought. _A single slip could make me fall to my death, a single step could make me get bitten by a snake… this is a long trek just to talk with StarClan, even if they do exist!_

Still, after they were surrounded by boulders, he was a little less uneasy. It was good to have a relatively safe place to walk, and Swiftsong was watching closely for snakes ahead of him.

After what felt like ages, they reached the top of the Moongully.

It was green like Thornpaw hadn't seen since he was a kit. Green as newleaf. Green as Hollypaw's eyes. Vividly green and alive. The trees were lush and full, the grass was soft and young, and the bushes were rustling with prey. Most of the gully was covered in a small forest, but there was a wide clearing with a pile of boulders in the center. Thornpaw could see scraps of old moss tucked in sheltered areas of the boulders, and knew that they were remains of old nests. _It's… beautiful._

Swiftsong's whiskers brushed his cheek. "Isn't it wonderful, Thornpaw?" she whispered.

"It – it is," he breathed. "Amazing."

"Come on, then," she purred softly. "Let's make our way down there." She moved past him onto a ledge even thinner than the one they had previously climbed up, and started to make her way down. Thornpaw swallowed hard and followed.

They were about halfway down when it happened.

Thornpaw saw a falcon in the sky. Its wings were spread wide, their dusty grey and white feathers wavering in the breeze of late leaf-fall. And it was looking at them. No, it was looking at _him_.

The next few seconds were ones Thornpaw would never forget. The falcon let out a piercing scream that seemed to shatter his ears. It folded its wings against its side and dropped out of the sky faster than anything Thornpaw had ever seen – faster even than Twoleg monsters. His eyes widened as he saw wickedly sharp black claws on vivid yellow talons aimed right at him. Then there was a blur of black, and he was falling, and the falcon was shrieking, and _Swiftsong was in its talons_.

Thornpaw hit soft grass with a heavy thud and lay still, barely able to breathe, as he watched. Swiftsong was raking the falcon with her claws, twisting and writhing in its grasp. Finally it seemed to grow tired of the heavy burden it carried. And it dropped her.

She fell from the sky, a blur of black, and landed. Thornpaw didn't think it was on her paws.

He saw the falcon overhead, eying him and then looking to Swiftsong. It must have decided that Thornpaw wasn't worth the risk, because it began to fly away.

_Good… that's good._ Thornpaw couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. He felt as if there was something he should have been doing, but just then he felt very tired. So he closed his eyes.

* * *

When Thornpaw next awoke, the sun was setting. It had already dipped beneath the Moongully's horizon so that all he could see of the sky was a combination of brilliant gold and magnificent scarlet. He tried to sit up, confused, but all at once he felt immensely dizzy and his muscles screamed for him to be still. As if he lacked all energy, Thornpaw lay flat once more.

Forms flickered at the edge of his vision. "Poor thing. He slipped from the edge?"

"He and his mentor both, yes. But she's in far worse condition. Seems a bird attacked her."

"We ought to help him, don't you think?"

"Will she be willing to help? She rarely wants to see other cats."

"Is she the best option in this case? Perhaps we should get someone else."

"All of you, be quiet. I'll help the clumsy scrap of fur."

"You're here!"

"I said quiet. How am I supposed to treat him if you're all chattering like starlings?"

"But –"

"Hush. Hey, can you hear me?"

_She's talking to me,_ thought Thornpaw, and blinked. No cats appeared, though, and when he tried to speak nothing seemed to come out.

"Open your mouth a little."

He complied. A bitter juice trickled into his mouth, and then he felt the rough texture of tongues all over his pelt, smoothing his tufted fur and cleaning away the dust from his fall. A vague, hazy form passed before Thornpaw, and he squinted. It was a blue-grey cat, as far as he could tell, and its pelt was speckled with tiny lights.

That was all Thornpaw saw before he blacked out again.

* * *

"All right, that's enough lying around. Wake up!"

The voice was cool and somewhat distant. Thornpaw blinked a few times. In front of him was a she-cat with blue-grey fur so dark it was nearly black. Her pelt was dappled with what he thought might be white flecks. As he watched, though, they twinkled.

Her fur was starry.

She was a StarClan warrior.

"W-who are you?" he croaked, and his voice was so hoarse that it took him a moment to be certain that it was his own and not that of an elder somewhere nearby.

The she-cat watched him through slitted blue eyes and did not reply for a while. Finally she meowed, "You were quite foolish to let yourself fall off the path into the Moongully."

Anger sparked bright and hot in Thornpaw. "As if I'd do something that dumb! It wasn't my fault! It was…" He trailed off. "It was… um…" _I can't remember!_ His anger was replaced with panic.

"It was your fault," the she-cat mewed flatly.

Behind her, there was sudden movement and another cat appeared. This new arrival was a large tom with a ragged pelt and ears that were almost completely gone. His amber eyes were stern. "Are you harassing the young cat?" he rumbled.

"That depends on your definition of 'harassing,'" the blue-grey she-cat snapped.

As they argued, Thornpaw took the opportunity to examine his surroundings. He was in a nest under the shade of a weeping willow. The tree's long fronds danged around them, rustling now and then whenever the breeze blew. When Thornpaw looked back at the two cats, he noticed that they seemed to flicker whenever there was a particularly powerful wind.

"I apologize for –" the ragged tabby began, but the blue-grey she-cat cut him off.

"– for nothing," she growled. "You were clumsy and should have been more careful. You got yourself and your mentor injured."

"Swiftsong!" Thornpaw gasped, suddenly remembering that the she-cat had been with him. "How did she get hurt?"

The blue-grey cat looked away, blue eyes flashing angrily. "Your fault," she repeated.

Now the ragged tom stepped forward. He brushed past the blue-grey warrior, ignoring the hostile look she shot him, and dipped his head to Thornpaw. "I apologize for the cat behind me. She does not wish to share her name with anyone, and I will respect that wish. As for you," he added gently, "it is not your fault. The cat there is bitter for her own reasons, and does not mean what she says. No cat could blame you. Do you remember the falcon that attacked you?"

Thornpaw thought a moment. Then, all at once, it came rushing back to him. "Y-yes! I remember it attacked me and Swiftsong –" He stopped, horrified and hoping that his memories were false. "And Swiftsong let the falcon take her instead of me, and it dropped her."

The ragged warrior nodded. "That is what happened. She broke a leg and a rib, and we cannot wake her up as we did with you. You were simply stunned – already in shock from the attack of the falcon, you were going limp and about to black out when you hit the ground. Your muscles were relaxed, and that made it so that you were hurt less upon hitting the ground."

"Oh," Thornpaw meowed quietly.

"I'm sorry, I've forgotten to introduce myself, what with her refusal to share her name," the tabby exclaimed abruptly. "My name is Tornstar."

Thornpaw gaped at him. "Torn_star_? You're a leader?"

"I was a leader," Tornstar corrected him quietly.

_Oops. I've upset him,_ Thornpaw thought guiltily. He stared at his paws awkwardly until a muzzle rested atop his head.

"Don't worry," Tornstar assured him. "That is long ago and I no longer need to be upset over things that happened in the past, unlike our company." He glanced at the blue-grey she-cat, then gestured for Thornpaw to stand up. "If you move slowly, I'll show you around a little bit."

Thornpaw obeyed, getting to his paws and following Tornstar out of the willow's shelter. When he emerged, the sight was quite strange.

The clearing in the Moongully that he had seen previously, the clearing that had been empty save for a pile of stones, was bustling with life. Cats padded back and forth, tails waving as they nodded to each other. Some of them held prey or herbs in their jaws, or some were sitting and grooming. A group of kits and apprentices rolled around, tussling with one another. And all the cats had stars glimmering in their pelts.

"This is StarClan," Tornstar meowed. "Not all of it, of course," he added quickly with a glance at Thornpaw, "but just a small portion. Whoever chose to visit with you this time."

A russet tabby apprentice broke away from the rest and trotted over. She was quite pretty, white-faced with darker red swirls crossing her pelt. "Hey," she greeted Thornpaw. "I'm Ferretpaw. I guess you're not a new arrival, huh, since you're up?"

_New arrival?_ Thornpaw took a step back, blinking. Was this she-cat actually suggesting that he might have _died_?

Tornstar chuckled. "Ferretpaw, I think our guest is a little overwhelmed. If I remember correctly, Thornpaw, you didn't completely believe in StarClan before you came here, is that right?"

Ferretpaw peered at him with her eyes bugged out. "What? How did you not believe in StarClan?" she cackled, reaching up and cuffing at Thornpaw's ear gently as if reprimanding a kit. "That's mouse-brained, isn't it, Tornstar?"

The ragged tabby tom flicked his tail, indicating that Ferretpaw should stop. "Now, now, Ferretpaw. Not every cat believes in StarClan. Some of us here don't completely think we are all the Clans say we are, even though they themselves are one of us." He cast Thornpaw a kindly glance. "Why don't you go catch something for Cliffkit?" he suggested to Ferretpaw.

"Aw, not Cliffkit!" she moaned. "That dumb kit is _always_ hungry!" But with another look from Tornstar, she sighed dramatically and stomped away. "You'll regret it when I have to catch all the prey in the Moongully and leave you all to starve," she called over her shoulder.

Thornpaw's head was spinning. "I don't understand," he rasped.

Tornstar nodded. "That's okay. Why don't I take you to see your mentor?"

"Yes, please," he meowed, relieved that there was a chance of seeing the one familiar face in a sea of strangers. Tornstar turned away and waded past a crowd of warriors, lifting his tail high so that Thornpaw could see it. They reached another willow much like Thornpaw's, and Tornstar held the leaves to one side.

Thornpaw padded in and his breath caught in his throat.

Swiftsong looked so small. Her fur was pressed flat against her, making her seem tiny, and her body was sprawled out. Around her were several cats. Though most of the cats around her looked up when Tornstar and Thornpaw entered, one kept his gaze locked firmly on her.

Two brown cats with hazel eyes, one she-cat and one tom, stood up in unison. "Tornstar," the she-cat mewed softly. "She seems to be okay, but there may be permanent damage."

"Shh, Hartfoot," the tom murmured, "we said we wouldn't speak of this in front of her apprentice."

"But Staghorn," she argued, "he needs to know as well."

Tornstar silenced them with a flick of his tail. "It's okay, both of you. Who all is in here with her?"

One tom with ginger and white fur that stuck out all over him spoke up. "There's me, Redriver, Burntwhisker, Hazeshadow, and of course Hollowsky."

"Hollowsky?" Thornpaw piped up, remembering how Swiftsong had spoken fondly of her mate with that name.

The tom sitting by Swiftsong looked up then. His blue eyes were broken, and when he spoke it was in a voice so tragic that Thornpaw felt upset just hearing it. "Yes, that's me. Her mate. Swiftsong…" he knelt and buried his nose in her pelt, quivering. A cat just next to him, a dark silver tom that looked almost the same, smoothed his pelt with one paw.

"It's horrible to see something like this happen in a place that's meant to be protected," the spiky tom meowed. "Tornstar, I thought we weren't supposed to let this sort of thing happen."

Thornpaw blinked and saw something unreadable pass over Tornstar's face, but he passed it off as stress over the situation. "Can I see her?" he mewed uncertainly.

The tom beside Hollowsky looked over. "Go ahead, Thornpaw," he replied. "You can sit on my other side if you wish."

Thornpaw moved forward hesitantly and sat near the tom, feeling self-conscious despite the fact that Hollowsky had let everything out without a reaction from the others. "Who are all these cats?" he whispered to the tom beside him.

"We're all close to Swiftsong in some way," the tom replied. "Hollowsky is, of course, her mate. I'm Hazeshadow, Hollowsky's brother. I was Swiftsong's best friend." He looked down at the black she-cat and blinked sadly. "The loud ginger and white furball over there is Hedgehogneedle. He's blatant and rude, but he's Swiftsong's brother, so he deserves to be here."

Unable to hide his surprise, Thornpaw cast a glance over his shoulder at the spiky tom. "Really? Swiftsong's brother? I wouldn't have guessed," he admitted.

Hazeshadow nodded. "They're very different. Hartfoot and Staghorn are two medicine cats. They were born in the same Clan as twins, but they both wanted to become medicine cats. Hartfoot left BreezeClan and went to LightningClan so that she and her brother could follow their dream. They stick close together in StarClan, though." Nodding towards the black she-cat with a ginger muzzle, he meowed, "That's Burntwhisker. Swiftsong's mother. And beside her is Redriver, her father." He flicked an ear towards the dark ginger tom.

Thornpaw looked around. "There are so many cats in Swiftsong's family that are in StarClan now," he meowed uncertainly. "Is this how it always is in the Clans? Everyone dies and grieves for you in StarClan?"

Hazeshadow lifted his gaze. "No. Swiftsong has… exceptionally bad luck," he admitted. "She's the last of her family that's alive. So she wanted to protect her apprentice." Turning to Thornpaw, he pointed out, "That would be you. Swiftsong likely won't have kits because she is still deeply in love with Hollowsky, so she would care for her apprentice as if he were her kit."

Thornpaw felt as if he was hearing secrets about Swiftsong that she wouldn't have wanted him to know. Shuffling his paws, he looked away. "I don't – I don't know if I can be in here anymore," he rasped nervously. "I'm starting to hurt again."

"Of course," Hazeshadow agreed, and Thornpaw saw the understanding in his gaze. "Go ahead. I'll let Tornstar know that you've left. You ought to go back and talk to the one who healed you. She's…" he hesitated. "… She's not very good with other cats, but we didn't have to ask her to heal you. She seems to like you."

_I don't like her!_ Thornpaw wanted to argue, but he knew it would be wiser not to. Instead he stood and backed away, watching the cats all around him. Starry pelts brushed each other as StarClan mourned for Swiftsong. Thornpaw turned and went back to the willow where he had first woken up.

"You're back," the blue-grey she-cat muttered. "What do you want?"

"Hazeshadow said I should talk to you," Thornpaw admitted awkwardly. "I don't know why." Forcing himself to say what he had wanted to know, he burst out, "Why did you say it was my fault?"

Anger leaped into the cat's eyes and she glared at him. "Don't accuse me like that!" she snapped sharply. "Don't you dare say that!"

Thornpaw backed up. "I-I'm sorry?"

All at once the anger drained from the she-cat. "I'm sorry, too. I'm not entirely sane, little one, so you'll have to bear with me if you want to talk."

"O-Okay," Thornpaw agreed uncertainly. _Not entirely sane? What?!_

"My name is Shroudstorm," the she-cat began. "I never had any signs from StarClan, not the entire time that I was a medicine cat. I was more faithful than any cat in the Clan, and yet StarClan refused to speak to me. My name was once Faithheart, but when my mentor died... well, there was no cat to receive prophecies. The Clans were trapped in a terrible war over a famine, and I received no word of the horrors that fell upon us." She trembled. "It was a bitter time. Clanmate met Clanmate in battle over a mousetail. I lost my faith in StarClan when the Clan murdered Tornstar, and the new leader renamed me Shroudstorm to signify that I was not in StarClan's favor."

"But how?" Thornpaw exclaimed, puzzled by the she-cats brief explanation of something that could have clearly taken a day to tell. "Why didn't StarClan speak to you? How did the Clans turn against their own cats? How did Tornstar die?"

Shroudstorm eyed him critically. "Perhaps one day you will know my story in full, little one. For now, however, I must only give you this. Anyway, I lost all faith in StarClan. I was sure that they could not exist, for they would surely not allow such a thing to happen to the Clans without any warning. When one of my Clanmates finally killed me over prey, I was taken to StarClan despite my lack of belief. It was there that I learned the terrible truth." She paused, perhaps for dramatic effect, when Tornstar's voice cut in sharply.

"She learned that she was completely mad, that StarClan had not intended for her to become a medicine cat," he growled. "Shroudstorm…"

The blue-grey she-cat looked back at Thornpaw, eyes wide. "You must believe me," she hissed. "Don't trust these cats, for they are filled with darkness and bitterness!"

Thornpaw stared at her, then looked back at Tornstar. The ragged tabby tom was scowling, but ultimately looked far more believable than Shroudstorm, whose fur was fluffed up and whose eyes were wild. Slowly he got up and went to Tornstar. "Please, I don't want her to be the one to heal me," he meowed quietly.

Tornstar nodded. "Shroudstorm, stay here," he ordered calmly. "Thornpaw, come with me."

* * *

Swiftsong took a deep breath. "We're almost home," she mewed softly. "It feels strange to return after so long. We've been away, what, more than a moon?"

Thornpaw nodded in agreement. "I'm just glad you didn't get killed," he told her.

She tilted her head back and blinked at him. "Of course I didn't get killed. I couldn't very well let some other cat take you as their apprentice, could I?" Her eyes danced, but Thornpaw recalled what Hazeshadow had told him about Swiftsong taking care of him like he was her son.

"No way," he confirmed, and the two of them started down the hills towards BreezeClan territory.

In the midst of StarClan's hunting grounds, one she-cat whose blue-grey fur was so dark it was nearly black watched them go in a silver pool of water. Her blue eyes were filled with misery. "I almost saved you, Thornpaw," she mewed softly. "You were almost free. You could have done so much." Her expression shifted to one of deep thought. "Perhaps the time is nigh for me to return to the Clans…"

* * *

Hello everyone, Rainy here with a ShadeClan/StarClan one-shot. Ooh, a mysterious seemingly-crazy she-cat talking about "returning to the Clans"? One-shots each from the perspectives of Badgerkit, Foxkit, Hollykit, Thornkit, Ospreyfeather, and Archclaw? Strange and ominous rambles about StarClan not being trustworthy? What could this mean?

What it means is in fact that we no longer have to wait.

It's coming.

A full story of ShadeClan, plot and prophecies and all. Oh, and the best part: _we find out if Badgerkit lived or not_.

I hope you're all sufficiently eager to read and review, because I'm probably going to need a lot of support here. Well, whatever happens, I'll do my best to get the prologue/character list/1st chapter out there by the end of my break.


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